"Soon after horrific natural gas explosions killed five people in Allentown and a utility worker in Philadelphia, a Pennsylvania congressman called a hearing in March to talk about improving pipeline safety. Right away, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster made one thing clear: He wasn't sure the solution was more federal inspectors, or even a more powerful U.S. pipeline safety agency with tougher regulations."

""I believe we can do more with less," he told reporters covering the hearing in King of Prussia.

Shuster's opinion counts. The Republican from south-central Pennsylvania is the new chairman of the House subcommittee on railroads, pipelines, and hazardous materials - making him one of the most powerful members in Congress on the issue of pipeline regulation.

He says the rules should encourage natural gas development, not get in the way. That's particularly true in Pennsylvania, he says, where the Marcellus shale industry is transforming the state's economy."